17 Children's and YA Magazines That Pay Writers

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Updated 12/18/23

The magazine market for younger readers is one many writers tend to overlook. This is in part due to the fact that, unlike the adult literary journal market, one does not need to be a writer to publish in children's magazines. Articles can be written by parents, teachers, anyone with enough contact with children and young people to know what they like.

But where fiction is concerned, skilled writers are at a premium. If you write novels or are in the process of writing a novel for young readers, consider expanding on one of your characters or using your settings for a short piece.

Having your bio printed in a children's magazine will help draw attention to you and your books. (Even though these magazines are geared toward young people, their parents read them as well. I read my all children's magazines along with them.)

Note: For a list of paying markets for Humor, Short Stories, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Speculative Fiction and more see: Paying Markets.
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Aquila is a British magazine geared to children between the ages of 8 and 13. The magazine has a readership of 40,000 children, the majority being in the 9-12 range. The content is designed to appeal to bright children who are confident and independent readers. Genres: Short stories between 1,000 and 1,150 words; Nonfiction articles of 800 words. Payment: £105. Read guidelines HERE.

Crow Toes Quarterly. Genre: Playfully dark fiction, poetry and art for children. "We are looking for "playfully dark", intelligent, humorous, descriptive literature written for children ages 8 - 13. We invite poetry and fiction submissions by email." See themes. Payment: $20 - $50. Read guidelines HERE. Has submission periods.

Scout Life is a general-interest, four-color magazine that prints 10 times yearly, with a circulation of 1 million, published by the Boy Scouts of America since 1911. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction.  Payment: $500 to $1,500. Read guidelines HERE.

Cast of Wonders is a young adult short fiction market (12-17 age range), open to stories up to 6,000 words in length. The stories are audio and also published on the site. Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, light horror. Payment: $.06/word for original fiction of any length (yes, including flash!). For reprints. $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Cast of Wonders is a qualified SFWA Short Fiction market. Read guidelines HERE. Has submission periods.

Cricket Media publishes 11 magazines for children from the ages of 6 months through teens. Genres: Fiction, poetry and nonfiction: Babybug, Ladybug, Spider, Cricket, Cicada. Nonfiction: Click: Science and Discovery for ages 3-7; Ask: Science and Discovery for ages 7-10; Muse: Science and Discovery for ages 10 and up; Cobblestone American History for ages 9-14; Dig Into History: World History and Archaeology for ages 9-14; Faces: World Cultures and Geography for ages 9-14. Payment: 10 cents - 25 cents/word for submissions to Babybug, Ladybug, Spider, Cricket, Cicada. Rates for nonfiction magazines are negotiated. Read guidelines HERE.

East of the Web is seeking children's stories aimed at age ranges between 5 and 12. Genre: All genres. Payment: Starts at $0.05 per word with a minimum of $200. Read guidelines HERE. Reprints accepted.

Fun For Kidz is a magazine created for boys and girls from 6 to 13 years, with children 8, 9, and 10 the specific target age. Issues are themed. Genres: Nonfiction and fiction. Length: 300-325 words for a one-page magazine article or up to 600-650 words for a two-page magazine article. Payment: Five cents a word for both fiction and nonfiction, with additional payment given if the piece is accompanied by appropriate photos or art. Minimum of $10 per poem or puzzle, with variable rates offered for games, simple carpentry projects, etc. Read guidelines HERE.

Highlights for Children publishes several magazines geared to pre-schoolers through grade school with a total circulation of more than one million. Genres: Stories, poems, illustrations, photography, hidden pictures, cartoons, puzzles, songs, and more. Payment: Pay ranges from $40 for art, poetry and crafts to $175 and up for fiction and articles. Read guidelines HERE.

One Teen Story publishes 4 stories a year and accepts submissions from teen writers ages 13-19. Genres: Short stories of any genre—literary, fantasy, sci-fi, love stories, horror, etc. . "We seek stories that deal with issues of identity, friendship, family, and coming-of-age. Gratuitous profanity, sex and drug use are best avoided. We’re open to all genres of well-written young adult fiction between 2,000 and 4,500 words." Payment: $500 and 25 contributor copies. Read guidelines HERE.

Short Edition accepts work up to 8,000 characters for short stories and poems, and up to 7,000 characters for children’s stories. Stories are published online and sold in dispensers (!?)  Payment: $125 for each selected short story and $75 for each poem as an advance payment on the royalties that each author will receive on a yearly basis from the Short Story Dispenser subscriptions. Read guidelines HERE.

U.S. Kids publishes two magazines, Humpty Dumpty (ages 2 - 6) and Jack and Jill (ages 6 -12). The magazines are designed to promote reading as well as sparking a child’s curiosity in a wide range of topics. Genres: Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Payment: $25 and up. Read guidelines HERE. 

Issues in Earth Science publishes fiction and nonfiction for middle grade and young adult readers  that incorporates earth science concepts as key elements, and also represent a key idea that might be taught in an earth science classroom. Length: 1,000-3,000 words. Payment: 6 cents/word. Read Guidelines HERE.

Blue Marble Review showcases the creative work of young writers ages  13-21. Its name is inspired by the view of earth as seen from the Apollo 17 spacecraft; the image, known as the Blue Marble, provides inspiration for dreamers, discoverers and explorers. The magazine publishes poetry, fiction, non-fiction, essays, opinion pieces, travel writing, photography and art. Payment: $25 per published piece, $75 for cover art. Read Guidelines HERE.

Voyage has no restrictions on the kind of YA fiction they’re looking for. "We simply aim to publish good work and provide a space for new and established voices. We are simply looking for stories that surprise, inspire, entertain, or enlighten. We’re on the hunt for personal essays and other creative nonfiction that specifically relates to the teen experience." Length: Up to 6,000 words.  Payment: $200 per accepted story/CNF piece. Reprints accepted. Read guidelines HERE.

The School Magazine publishes short stories, articles, plays, poems and activities. "Our readers are exploring their identities and appreciate insights into the world around them. What works best? Energetic and accessible writing that has suspense, with fast-paced action, twists, credible characters and, always, the child reader at its heart." Payment: $0.50c per word for fiction, articles and plays; poetry: 1-12 lines is $55; 13-24 lines is $105; 25-40 lines is $170, and over 40 lines is $230. Read guidelines HERE.

Ember publishes creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry aimed at children and teens. Payment: 2 cents per word or $20 per work, whichever is more, for worldwide first publication rights in English. 

Spaceports & Spidersilk is a print magazine for younger readers [8-9 on up through 89]. It features short stories, poems, and art, as well as brief essays on science and the environment, interviews, quizzes, contests, [and, quite frankly, anything else that is genre-oriented and will help encourage the younger generation to read...and to dream, especially about going to the stars]. The genres for Spaceports & Spidersilk include fantasy, science fiction, and a category we are going to define as ‘shadow stories’. Shadow stories are mild horror. We want spooky, not terrifying. Most of all, we want ADVENTURES! And especially SF or fantasy adventures. Payment: $6.00 for each accepted original story; $3.00 for each accepted flash fiction; $2.00 for each accepted story reprint; $2.00 for each accepted poem; $10.00 for the cover art; $4.00 for each accepted b&w illustration.